Posted by NorthPoint on March 14, 2001 at 20:04:18:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Rupert Bear posted by Graham A Wilson on January 28, 2001 at 12:59:58:
Rupert has a white face inside Rupert Annuals and a brown face on the cover - for EVERY Annual except the 1973 (Cover shows Rupert waving from a coniferous tree). In 1973, some doughnut at Express headquarters decided, without consulting the artist, to change the brown face (and hands and boots) to white - thus ruining the composition. The artist (Alfred Bestall) was incensed and never drew another Rupert cover. Around 12 proof copies of this Annual exist, with brown faces - they are EXTREMELY (in fact ludicrously) valuable. White-faced 1973 Annuals are common and not worth much in cash terms. Other brown-faced (i.e. NOT 1973) Rupert Annuals are worth varying sums of money - more, generally, for older books. All, however, are extremely valuable as examples of British childrens' illustrated literature at its best. Genuine Followers are sad to see valuable Rupert books pass into the hands of "investors" who have no interest in Rupert at all.
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